A “posse” is a small, diverse group of talented students, carefully selected and trained, to serve as a catalyst for increased individual and community development.
University of Wisconsin-Madison was in 2002 the first major public research institution to launch this unique program. More than 500 Posse Scholars have been awarded merit scholarships to attend UW-Madison since the program’s inception.
Posse identifies leadership talent, ability to work in a team with people from diverse backgrounds, and a desire to succeed. Once selected, Posse Scholars enroll in a 32-week training program during their senior high school year. They arrive on campus academically prepared and motivated to foster positive social change.
Interesting Facts
- Posse is one of the most comprehensive college access, diversity, and youth leadership development programs in the country.
- It was founded in 1989.
- Posse recruits, selects and trains public high school students and sends them to college in multicultural teams of 10 (“Posses”) to be a support network for each other and to be catalysts of change on campus.
- Posse specializes in identifying nontraditional students who might be overlooked by the traditional admissions processes at selective colleges and universities.
- To date, Posse has 9,966 Scholars and alumni in its network.
- Posse Scholars have won $1.5 billion in full-tuition, leadership scholarships from partner colleges and universities.
- Posse currently has 58 top-tier college and university partners.
- Posse Scholars persist and graduate at a rate of 90 percent – well above the national average.
- Posse is established in 10 cities (Atlanta, Bay Area, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, and Washington, D.C.).
- On average, at least 15,000 students are nominated each year for Posse Scholarships across the country.